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Canadian superstar Bryan Adams plays the Spitfire Ground, home of Kent Cricket in Canterbury

Breaking news: it's OK to like Bryan Adams.

Back in the summer of 1991, you probably would have got beaten up in the playground for admitting you liked a power ballad like Everything I Do - but that didn't mean that the entire school didn't watch Robin Hood Prince of Thieves 10 times that summer and dream about their first crush every time that song came on at the end. Maybe that was just me, but somehow I suspect it wasn't. It didn't stay at No.1 until about 2003 for no reason.

Bryan Adams plays the cricket ground in Canterbury. Picture: Andy Jones
Bryan Adams plays the cricket ground in Canterbury. Picture: Andy Jones

The multi-platinum recording artist came to the county as part of his European Get Up tour, hot on the heels of the release of his new album, Get Up and the crowds turned out to welcome him. He follows Simply Red in June and Madness this time last year at the home of the Kent Spitfires.

The crowd at the Spitfire Ground
The crowd at the Spitfire Ground

Whether the Groover from Vancouver was technically 'cool' back in the day or not who cares - when it comes to an unapologetic heart-on-its-sleeve rock anthem Bryan Adams hits his rivals out of the ball park - which is perhaps a fitting analogy seeing as he was at the Spitfire Ground, the home of Kent cricket.

Bryan Adams plays to his Canterbury crowd
Bryan Adams plays to his Canterbury crowd

Cringeworthy at times? Well, so was Ian Botham's mullet back in the day, but that doesn't make him any less of a hero. In fact it kind of amplifies his greatness - Bryan can turn the cringe control on his guitar amp up to 11, but it never drowns out the artistry in his songwriting and performance.

All ages enjoyed Bryan Adams' performance in Canterbury
All ages enjoyed Bryan Adams' performance in Canterbury

At 56, Adams is encroaching on 'old rocker' territory but he delivered his set with Olympic levels of energy - perhaps helped by a clean living lifestyle that always set him apart from his contemporaries. He can still belt out the high notes of Please Forgive Me; he rocks out unremittingly on Run to You and the Summer of 69, while his new songs hold up with the best of his classics. It wouldn't matter what he played though; if he sang 'I've got a brand new combine harvester' his fans would sing along and love him for it. Top marks.

Bryan Adams played the cricket ground in Canterbury
Bryan Adams played the cricket ground in Canterbury
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